A blog about human brains and behavior for students of psychology.
We all engage in what psychologists call mental time travel. It’s not as futuristic as it sounds. Essentially, it’s just the ability to think about our past and future experiences. While we all engage in mental time travel, we don’t
Some people seem to be unfailingly upbeat, no matter what life throws their way. Ever wonder what the outlook on life is that all these people have in common? One answer that’s been proposed is what psychologists call the positive
Have you noticed that some people seem to be unfailingly positive about everything that happens to them? If you’re like me, you can’t help but be a little jealous of these people. As you should be! Psychology research indicates that
Who says you have to be a person to have a personality? A new study from researchers University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program has identified specific personality traits that tend to stay the same in individual cows over time.
If you want to feel more optimistic about what the future holds, sometimes it helps to look at the past. That’s because taking a minute to bask in nostalgic memories can make you feel more positive about what’s in store.
If you could choose to master any life skill, optimism wouldn’t be a bad place to start. That and four other life skills have been linked to health, happiness and even financial wealth later in life. Psychologists have known for
What’s your life story? Apparently, how you answer that question is related to how optimistic you are about the future. The way we interpret the past is closely tied up with our expectations for what’s to come. In a new
Honestly, I tend to tune out when people talk about the power of positive thinking. The idea that being optimistic can solve all your problems never really rang true to me. Surely it should go in the other direction, that
